


R U Home Yet? Intro

by TrollToez



Series: Macaronikids!AU [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: And More Fluff, And angst, Fluff, Gen, kid AU, macaronikids!AU, we went to the Dells
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-10 16:32:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3297131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrollToez/pseuds/TrollToez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first story in the macaronikids!AU. Geoff lived alone, and he was alright with that. But when he met an intriguing young boy by the name of Jack, everything he thought he knew was turned upside down.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jack

**Author's Note:**

> R U Home Yet? was a story originally created by ZeusesPidgeons. The first story- The Prison Job- was formulated while we were in the car going up to the Dells. This story is also known by it's AU; the macaronikids!AU, however we will be keeping them under the R U Home Yet? series because we don't want to lose the significance of the title. We hope you will enjoy the story and follow us on the journey through this story! :) -TrollToez

           Geoff lived alone, and he was okay with that. He worked odd jobs supplied by his friends and connections in the city, but it was enough to get by on. He was content without a wife or kids. At least, that’s what Geoff told himself as he watched the young boy next to him in the local gas station.

    The boy had glasses and messy red hair. He looked to be around ten years old. But something in his eyes made him seem older to Geoff. They were next to each other near the sandwich shelf. The boy’s eyes scanned the food before he quickly glanced around, as if making sure that no one was watching.

    It was obvious to the man what this kid was going to do, so he intervened. “Hey, listen, kid. I don’t know why you were gonna steal that food, but isn’t worth it. Here,” he said, handing a five dollar bill to the ginger.

    The boy looked at him with disbelieving eyes before he carefully took the money. Geoff left his hand extended and the boy shook it uncertainly. “Thanks,” he almost whispered.

    “No problem. I’m Geoff.”

    “…Jack,” the boy replied. Giving Geoff one last glance, he took two sandwiches and a water bottle to the checkout counter.

    Satisfied that he had kept the boy out of trouble, Geoff went back to getting his coffee. Though the encounter was brief, he continued to think about it for the rest of the day. There was something he liked about that kid.

    UUUUN

    The second time he met Jack, Geoff was walking to Los Santos Customs. Around halfway there, he had seen the boy sitting at the entrance to an alley. Jack was sitting behind a dumpster under a ratty old blanket. A plastic cup sat next to him with a piece of cardboard reading, “please help. no home. No family. no money”

    Geoff felt a pang in his chest at the sight. He had no idea the other day at the gas station. The man headed over to Jack, unsure of what he was doing but certain that he needed to help. When he reached him, Geoff slipped a ten into the cup. Jack still hadn’t looked up, and seemed like he might be sleeping.

     Knowing he would be late for work if he stayed any longer, he vowed to check back as soon as he was done. With a deep breath he forced himself to leave the small child, but not before another ten found its way into the cup.

    Why am I doing this? I see plenty of kids on the streets, so why am I so attached to this one? He thought. Maybe if he asked Jack he would know, Geoff reasoned as he went on his way. Yes, talking to him would explain it.

     UUUUN

    He was distracted all day, thinking about the poor child out in the cold fall weather. No family? No home? How was he surviving out there? Probably from the change he received and stealing what he couldn’t afford he thought, remembering how suspicious Jack had been of his monetary offer. Thank the Lord it was time for Geoff to go home.

He practically ran, hoping that the boy hadn’t moved. But Jack was still there, giving puppy dog eyes to passerby’s who carefully avoided his gaze. Geoff sat down beside him which startled Jack. The boy started to scoot away before he recognized the man next to him.

    “Oh, hey,” he said softly. Jack then looked away, appearing ashamed.

    “I didn’t know it was this bad. I would have given you more at the gas station,” Geoff stated. Once again, he felt the pangs of sadness. Suddenly, he realized why. This boy reminded Geoff of himself.

    He remembered being young, probably not much older than Jack. Geoff had basically raised himself, though he had had a home at least. He remembered how terrible he had felt back then: so alone and afraid. Until his saving grace had arrived in the form of three friends. Burnie, Gus, and Joel had taken care of him from then on. They had shown him kindness again. Jack didn’t have that, but he needed it.

    “How long have you been alone?” Geoff asked. “Where are your parents?”

    “I dun’ know. I don’t remember. Jus’ remember that they left me.”

    If it was possible, Geoff’s heart melted even more for this little boy. Without thinking, he clasped Jack’s arm. “Come with me. I can take care of you, please.” Geoff seemed just as surprised as Jack by his outburst. Jack was wide eyed and silent, mouth hanging open. Tears flooded his eyes, and it seemed as though he was about to agree. But instead, after an internal battle, the boy shook his head reluctantly.

    “No, I couldn’t. Thank you for the offer, though,” his voice cracked as he tried desperately to keep the tears from spilling over.

    Geoff was immensely confused by this answer. He didn’t have and family, and he obviously wanted to come. So why did he recline? And on that note, why did Geoff offer? He had no experience with kids and had no idea how to take care of one. Still, he wanted to know what was troubling Jack. “And why could you not?”

    “There’s… there’s someone I must take care of.”

    “And who would that be? I don’t understand,” Geoff responded softly.

    “A friend. I… have to take care of him. I can’t leave him alone.”

    Geoff nodded, not pushing any further. “Well, I’d love to meet him sometime. He seems very nice.” He sat silently with Jack for a while, both content with watching people go by. Much to Geoff’s surprise, it was Jack who spoke first.

    “He is very nice. I’d like for you to meet him, too. Will you be coming this way tomorrow?”

    “Yeah, I’ll be walking by here around noon,” Geoff lied. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow.” He paused to think before he spoke again. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me, just for tonight? It’s too cold to be out here with just that crappy blanket. Your friend can come too, if he’d like.”

    “He has a home to sleep in but… I mean if it isn’t too much trouble of course… yeah. I’d like that a whole lot, Geoff.” Jack drew his knees up to his chest while he spoke. He looked away and blushed slightly.

    Geoff knew that he was grinning like an idiot, but he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he was this happy. He started to get up, but paused in a crouching position. “It’s a bit of a walk, so hop on, kiddo.”

    Jack seemed very pleased with this request and jumped on with an enthusiastic giggle. The walk back to Geoff’s house was fairly uneventful, just chatting about what they saw on their trip. When the apartment complex came into view, Jack was confused.

    “That’s you house!?” he exclaimed.

    Geoff laughed, “No, mine’s on the second floor. It’s not very big but I make it work.”

    When Geoff unlocked the door to his apartment and gave Jack a quick tour, the boy only seemed more in awe. “It’s so big! You live alone in this place!?” Jack was smiling and spinning around when he spoke until he hit the edge of the couch and plummeted to the ground. Just before he landed, however, two big arms caught him.

The boy looked entirely embarrassed, which only made Geoff laugh harder. “Hey!” Jack protested weakly. But then he was laughing too and both of them fell onto the couch in a gigging heap. They had finally stopped when Geoff’s stomach growled loudly and set them both off again.

    “Stop! Please stop, my stomach hurts!” Jack begged through tears. Apparently, Geoff’s laughter was infectious.

    “Well, I guess that’s my cue. What do ya want for dinner, kid?” he panted, still trying to catch his breath. Jack’s face fell slightly and he untangle himself from the older man.

    “Oh no, that’s alright. I’ve already eaten today.” He said, staring at his feet. Geoff was having none of that, and scooped the boy back up into his arms. “Spaghetti it is then.”

Not long after, they were seated at the table with a massive bowl of spaghetti between them. Geoff served them both hearty plates before seating himself. Jack gaped at his plate and then up at Geoff. “Is this all mine!?” he exclaimed. The boy actually looked slightly scared, as if he was afraid that Geoff would take the food away. Or maybe that the noodles on his plate might eat him.

    “All yours. And if you finish that there’s a lot more,” the man replied simply. He would feed Jack the whole damn kitchen if he wanted it. He looked so skinny and malnourished, and Geoff when his last real meal had been.

    He watched Jack carefully as he ate, not wanting him to eat too fast and get a stomach ache. But Jack ate slowly, as if the plate of food was daunting. Which to him, it probably was. Jack didn’t talk a lot, too focused on the meal, but periodically mumbled thanks through mouthfuls.

    When they had finished eating, Jack closed his eyes and leaned back against his chair with a sigh. One eye peaked open at Geoff. “Thank you so much. I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten that much, or something that good, actually.”

    “Well there’s only more where that came from. You’re too skinny to be healthy. And on that note, when’s the last time you’ve had a hot bath?” Geoff asked. Based on the way Jack nearly drooled at the thought, it had probably been a while.

    He led the boy into the bathroom and turned on the water. While the tub filled, Geoff took the time to look closer at Jack. He was filthy, and his glasses were so dirty and scratched that Geoff wasn’t sure he could actually see. His clothes were old and torn, and much too big to actually be his. Most likely he had taken them from wherever they had been thrown out. More than ever, Geoff was determined to give him a better life.

    Once Jack was in the tub, he was satisfied with laying back and letting Geoff wash him thoroughly. Again, he was fairly quiet except for muttered thanks. Geoff carefully worked through Jack’s knotted hair, and made sure every inch of the ginger was clean.

    After the bath, which Jack seemed very reluctant to leave, he was wrapped in a large towel and sat on the edge of the tub. Geoff was no barber, but still trimmed Jack’s hair down to a manageable level. Seeing as he didn’t just have a spare set of ten year old boy’s clothes laying around, Geoff gave Jack a pair of his own boxers and a large t-shirt. If possible, Jack now looked even tinier as he nearly drowned in the clothes.

    The boy grinned up at him and tugged the boxers back up from where they were slipping down. Geoff nearly died at the adorable sight in front of him. If only to add to the cuteness, Jack let out a huge yawn and rubbed at his eyes. Probably bedtime, then.

    He took Jack’s hand and they walked back to the bedroom. Geoff tucked him in and ruffled his hair with a quiet “goodnight” to the nearly sleeping boy. However, when he turned to leave he felt a small tug on his shirt. Looking back, he saw puppy-dog eyes staring back. Without another word, he slipped into bed next to Jack, who curled into his side. Geoff had one arm under Jack’s head like a pillow, and the other wrapped around him protectively.

    “Thanks for the money, Geoff.”

    “No problem, buddy,” Geoff replied. But Jack had already fallen asleep, so Geoff couldn’t ask how he knew it was him. But he didn’t ponder it long before he too had fallen asleep, happier than he had been in years.

    UUUUN

    Geoff wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was still pitch black when he woke up to Jack screaming. The boy was thrashing under the blankets as he cried out in fear. Geoff sat up and pulled the struggling boy into his arms. Rocking back and forth, he tried to wake Jack up without startling him more. “Jack. Jack it’s just a nightmare, wake up.” Truthfully, it was starting to freak Geoff out. He had absolutely no idea what to do. He shook the boy once more before the boy woke.

    Jack continued to fight, unaware of where he was. “No! No, please don’t!” he screamed. Geoff just continued to hold him close and murmur comforting words into his ear. After what seemed like forever, the fight seemed to leave Jack and he slowly pulled back to look at Geoff.

    Recognition sparked in his eyes and he flung himself back into Geoff’s hug with a loud sob. They sat like this until the sky lightened, with Geoff rubbing circles into Jack’s back while he cried himself dry. It hurt Geoff to see him like this, but there was a bit of amazement as well. How long had it been since this child had someone to hold him, comfort him, tell him that everything would be alright?

    So, Geoff stayed up with Jack, even after the boy had cried himself back to sleep. He wanted to be there to fight off any other monsters that tried to attack him.

    UUUUN

    They didn’t wake until well after noon. Jack found himself still tucked under Geoff’s arms, warm and secure. Vague memories of last night resurfaced and he snuggled closer to Geoff with a shiver.

    Careful not to wake him, Jack pulled a blanket over Geoff’s shoulders. For once, he allowed himself to relax and sleep in. Only when Geoff began to stir did Jack move. With a stretch and a loud groan, Geoff rejoined the waking world. He seemed a bit disoriented when he saw the boy, but within moments a large grin appeared on his face.

    “Mornin’, kiddo. Hope you slept better than I did, ‘cause my back is killing me.”

    Jack looked down guiltily but before he could open his mouth to apologize, Geoff spoke again. “Hey don’t look so sad; I’m just joking. You wanna talk about your nightmare?” Jack shook his head, and then tilted it to the side thoughtfully.

    “Um… can we have breakfast?” he asked cautiously, still unused to the much food just for him.

    “Yeah! Come on; I’m half starved,” Geoff paused in horror at his own words and then stared at Jack, unsure of what to say. Jack only laughed, “Well let’s go eat, then!” But his eyes seemed to say more. He knew what Geoff had said, but he wasn’t upset by it.

     Geoff laughed out of relief that he hadn’t hurt Jack, and guided him out for breakfast at 1:30 in the afternoon.

    A filling meal of eggs and bacon later, Jack was already looking a hundred times better. He was smiling and joking like kids his age should be. Though, it seemed that Geoff was as well. They watched cartoons and had a pirate battle using empty paper towel rolls. Later on Geoff decided that they absolutely had to make cookies and they ran to the grocery store immediately.

    One floury food fight later, the cookies were in the oven. Jack was on Geoff’s lap sorting the new cookie decorating supplies. Geoff watched the football game, but glanced down every once and a while to add his input to the piles Jack had made. He sorted the colors of frosting into groups of colors he thought went well together.

    After rearranging many times, he picked up the green and orange. He glanced up at Geoff. “What’s your favorite color?” he asked.

    “Blue, what’s yours?” he replied. Instead of answering verbally, Jack showed him the green tube and then picked up the blue one as well. “Is orange your second favorite?” he questioned upon seeing the third color. Jack shook his head sadly, and held it a little closer.

    “It’s Ryan’s favorite,” he sighed. Geoff figured that this must be his mystery friend and pulled Jack a little closer, smiling down at him.

    “You wanna bring some cookies over to him when they’re done?” As if he summoned it, the oven beeped.

    “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! He’ll love it!” Jack raced to the kitchen and threw the oven door open. Before Geoff could stop him, Jack grabbed the cookie sheet bare handed and yanked them out. Only then did he realize that they were burning hot and dropped them with a loud cry of pain. Geoff cringed as he watched the food clatter to the floor while Jack began to cry. He hurried over and ran the wailing boy’s hands under water.

    It took a while to calm him down once more, and a bit longer when Jack looked down and saw the red skin with blisters appearing. But eventually, all was well again when his hands had been covered in get better kisses.

    They picked up the cookies together and began decorating. Silly faces, cool designs, and their names covered their cookies. Jack made a few extra specials ones for his friend with their favorite colors. A few of the cookies had been glued back together with frosting.

Soon after, they headed out and back towards where Geoff had found Jack the day before. Jack then took hold of his hand and led him down the alleyway. Geoff had no idea what to expect; he didn’t even know where they were going.

    Through the alley and down the street they went, until they arrived at an older house. Instead of going to the front door, Jack walked into the backyard. Overgrown grass overtook the stray children’s toys on the lawn. Jack peered behind the bushes and up into the few trees. With no luck, he turned back to the house. With a small happy gasp, he started to jump up and down while waving his hands.

    That was when Geoff saw the boy. He had been looking in the windows to catch a glimpse of Jack’s friend, but only saw him when he raised his eyes further.  There, on the roof, was a boy only a year of two younger than Jack. Ryan had his knees tucked up to his chest and his head buried in his arms. It was apparent that the boy hadn’t seen him, so Jack picked up a small stone and tossed it up onto the roof, careful not to hit Ryan.

    The younger boy jumped at the noise and looked down. The fear on his face turned to joy and he scrambled off the roof. Geoff could barely watch Ryan as he dropped down onto a windowsill and then onto a small deck. Soon, he was tackling Jack in a hug. They giggled and wrestled on the ground, until Ryan noticed Jack’s hands.

    “What happened to you, Jack!? Did this guy hurt you? Who is he, anyway?” Ryan looked up at Geoff with a furious glare.

    “No, no, no! I just burned myself making cookies,” Jack explained, pointed to said treats in the container beside them. The boy then stood up and gestured with flourish to Geoff. “This is my new friend, Geoff! I know he looks scary with all his tattoos n’ stuff, but he’s really nice!”

    Geoff attempted to put on his most harmless smile. He knew that many people, not just children, were intimidated by him. He usually used it to his advantage, but now he just wanted to befriend the two boys.

    Ryan got up slowly, still untrusting of the new man. But he did trust Jack, so he finally looked up and gave Geoff a tiny smile. “Hey, I’m Ryan. Nice to meet you.”

    UUUUN

  
  



	2. Ryan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not putting a chapter summary cause its the second chapter, but I figure that some of you skipped here because it's Ryan, right? :P

           They headed to the park, with Jack recounting all of his adventures with Geoff to Ryan. The two kids sat on the swings and ate cookies while Geoff sat on one beside them to listen. He would add his own bits to the story, often earning a laugh from the young boys. Ryan seemed to be warming up, though it was obvious that he was still stuck inside of his shell. He seemed uncomfortable with talking about himself, so Geoff decided not to push it.

       Instead, they watched a family feed bread to ducks. Ryan watched with great interest, but didn’t speak. His friend on the other hand, had already begun forming a plan. He looked up at the man beside them. Geoff looked back evenly. Don’t do it, he thought. Don’t you fucking- Puppy dog eyes activate. Shit.

       Jack didn’t even say a word and Geoff was already standing up. He knew that he was wrapped around the boy’s finger, and that he would later regret letting it happen, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Alright, come on then.” Ryan looked at Jack in confusion, who grinned back cheekily.

       “We’re goin’ to get bread for the ducks! We can feed ‘em that way!”

       Ryan looked disheartened, but only nodded and swung back and forth a little. They started out of the park, but Ryan stayed where he was, staring at his dirty shoes. Jack tugged on his hand slightly, but the sandy haired boy shook his head. “You go on, I’ll head back home later.”

       “You don’t want to come?” Geoff asked, confused. He had seemed like he had wanted to feed them.

       The question made Ryan finally look up. He looked just as confused as Geoff did. “You can come if you want to. We’d be more than happy to have you with us,” Geoff clarifies. A grin spreads slowly across the youngest’s face and he jumps up to join them. The man doesn’t ask why Ryan thought he wasn’t allowed to come, but pushes it to the back of his mind. He could ask Ryan later, but now he just wanted the boy to be happy, because it seemed like he definitely didn’t feel it enough.

       One quick trip to the grocery store later, they were back at the pond with a loaf of bread. They tossed bread to the many ducks that quickly surrounded them. The boys laughed and tried to make the ducks jump for it. Ryan actually got one to, and earned an accidental bite to one of his fingers when the duck over jumped. He wasn’t hurt by it however, and instead was very proud of his accomplishment. “I bet no one else ever got to feel a duck’s bill like that!” He had proclaimed, holding up his pointer finger like a prize.

       They stayed at the park until the sun was glowing on the horizon. When Geoff felt he shouldn’t keep the boys out any longer, he told this to Jack and Ryan.

       Both boys were sad that their playdate had to end. Jack tugged on Ryan’s arm again, something that seemed to be a common form of communication between the two. “Come on, Rye. You can stay with me tonight if you want.”

       “With you? But Ryan, don’t you have a home? That’s where we were earlier, right?” Geoff questioned. These two seemed like a puzzle sometimes.

       “No. I mean, I live there. It’s not my home, though. I like to stay with Jack some

times.” The boy replied.

   "Well... Where do you stay, Jack?"

   "Wherever. Usually the alley where you saw me yesterday... I'm not allowed at Ryan's place so I don't really have a home..."

  Geoff was appalled. How could anyone treat the wonderful kids this way? "Ryan, don't your parents worry when you're not home?"

   He shook his head. "They're my foster parents, and no. They prefer it when I’m not around so they can take care of the other kids. They don't want me, but they can't get rid of me," the last sentence was spoken with so much venom that it startled Geoff. The suddenness was surprising, but the anger wasn't. They didn't want him, but it's their job to take care of him. But if they didn't care...

   "Dinner. My place. Mac n cheese. Come on," he spoke sharply. Geoff didn't want his anger to show, but it was nearly impossible. Not that the boys would mind; they were angry about their living conditions as well. They followed without hesitation and kept up with his large strides. Ryan was once again nervous, but any place besides home seemed like a better option.

    When they got to the street, Geoff held out his hands and they each took a hold of one. His large hands enveloped their tiny ones, and he couldn't help but be a little scared by it. These kids were already so broken, and it would be so easy for him to break them even more. Especially if he was going to go through with what he was thinking.

  By the time their got back to his house, Geoff had calmed down significantly. A feeling of déjà vu swept over him when he entered his apartment. For the second night in a row, he was taking in a child he had only just met to help them. Although this time he was taking care of both of them. God help them all.

  He set the water on to boil and once again looked over the new comer thoroughly. He was standing awkwardly to the side of the room, unsure of what to do with his hands. He finally settle on shoving them into his pockets. He wasn't as dirty as Jack had been, but he definitely wasn't clean. His clothes were threadbare and plain.

  Jack stuck close to him and coaxed Ryan into following the boy on a tour of the house. Geoff popped a few hot dogs into the microwave and continued cooking the noodles. When the boys returned, Geoff was surprised to see that it was Ryan who was talking so animatedly. Ryan spoke energetically about different video games he’d seen advertised on TV, and others he’s heard about. So they found my X-box, he thought.

The microwave beeped and he cut the hotdogs up into the pot. The boys sat down when they saw that the food was ready. Dinner was served and they dug in, but it wasn’t long before Jack started laughing.

“What’s wrong with you?” Geoff teased. “Is there cheese in my mustache?”

“No!” He cried out, almost choking on his food in a fit of laughter. “Why are these girl shapes!?” Ryan looked down at his bowl and sure enough, the noodles were all princess shapes. Crowns, wands, and hearts sat covered in cheese. Ryan burst into laughter as well, and Geoff reddened slightly.

“So what? A man can have whatever noodles he pleases! They taste better anyway!” he cried indignantly. Geoff crossed his arms and glared at the boys, though a smile fought to crawl onto his face. Finally, he gave in, and they were all laughing.

Ryan finally calmed down enough to take another bite, and chewed thoughtfully. Jack and Geoff looked at him in confusion when he nodded resolutely. “Yep. I hate to say it, but it tastes better,” he said. There was a moment of silence and the all three were laughing again.

Things continued this way all throughout dinner. Ryan opened up more and his quick wit challenged even Geoff’s. After dinner they went back to the living room and he taught them how to play Halo. They picked it up quickly, and teamed up against him immediately. With a score of 14-3 in their favor (okay Geoff might have gone a little easy on them), Jack piped up.

“Can we please have a bath, Geoff?” he asked. The man chuckled; surely this had to be the first kid that wanted a bath.

“Sure, but I don’t think it’d be very comfortable with both of you guys squished in there. How about one at a time?”

Ryan wanted to play on his own some more to learn on of the maps, so Jack was the first in the tub. One clean child later, Ryan was getting ready for his bath.

Jack was in the living room doing god knows what to entertain himself, so Geoff focused on the task at hand. When Ryan took off his shirt, it was almost scary how skinny he was. His baggy clothes had hidden how malnourished he was. I knew he was skinny, but this is ridiculous, Geoff thought.

The boy seemed to react to the bath in the same way Jack did; sinking into the bubbles with a sigh and laying back. He could see Ryan’s entire body relax and a small smile even found its way onto his face.

Geoff made sure he was clean and then let the boy soak for a while. He stayed in the room and talked with him to make sure Ryan didn’t fall asleep. Their peaceful relaxation was broken when there was a loud scream of “YEAH” and then the sound of glass shattering. This was then followed by a shriek, and silence.

“Stay here.”

By the time the words were spoken, Geoff was already out the door. The first thing he noticed was that the living room was significantly darker. He called Jack’s name from his side of the room, and received a whimper in response. When his eyes adjusted, he saw Jack standing in the middle of the room with wide eyes. Off to the boy’s right, the lamp that had lit the room was knocked over in a pile of glass.

“Are you okay, Jack?” he asked slowly. The boy wasn’t crying yet, but he looked like he was on the verge of hysterics. Jack nodded but pointed a shaky hand towards the broken lamp.

“Is he okay, Geoff?” Ryan called from the bathroom doorway. He was wrapped hastily in a towel, still dripping wet. He blinked owlishly while he tried to adjust to the darkness.

“Yeah, I think he’s fine,” he responded. The faint light from the TV screen illuminated the lamp, and Jack was far enough away to be out of danger.

“Alright buddy, come over here, but don’t go near the glass, okay? It’s fine, I’m not mad. That lamp was shitty anyway,” he smiled. Jack picked his way around the other side of the couch and over to Geoff.

Upon seeing Jack for himself, Ryan was satisfied with his friend’s well being. The older boy hurried to clean up the water on the floor that he had dripped and jumped back into the warm tub.

Meanwhile, Jack stared up at the man with a look of terror on his face. He was shaking like a leaf and let out tiny, gasping breaths. Geoff picked him up without a second thought, shushing him softly when the boy squeaked in fear. A steady stream of whispered apologies still fell from Jack’s lips, though he buried himself in Geoff’s arms.

“Hey Jack, I said I’m not mad. It was an accident, and a funny one at that,” he chuckled. “How in the hell did you manage that?”

Jack peeked up with one eye and let a smile finally begin to form. “I won. Threw my arms up an’ I let go of the controller on accident.”

Geoff threw his head back and laughed loudly. Jack giggled a bit and clung closer to Geoff. The man carried him over to the kitchen and gave him a snack to keep him busy. After that, he quickly went to check on Ryan.

When he got back to the bathroom, Ryan was almost completely submerged. His nose was underwater and his eyes were squeezed shut. “Ryan?” he asked.

He blew bubbles out of his nose and resurfaced. “Where’s Jack?”

“Eating a Freezee in the kitchen.”

Ryan snorted, “A pink one?” Geoff rolled his eyes in response, but grinned as well. He shook his head and leaned up against the counter.

“So what’s up? You looked upset.” Even now, Ryan had a slightly dejected look on his face.

“It’s nothing I’m fine. Water’s getting cold, though,” he replied, skillfully changing the subject.

“Is that why you’re so sad?” Geoff teased while he dried Ryan off after he got out of the tub.

“No, I’m not sad. This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” he admitted. There was a minute where he opened and closed his mouth like he wanted to speak. He twisted his hands together and looked everywhere but at Geoff. Finally, he pulled the towel tighter around himself and spoke. “I’ve just been so happy today. I felt like I actually had a family. But then I saw you holding Jack, and it just made me remember that I don’t have that, I guess. I remembered that I have to go back to the foster home soon and go back to my normal life. I’m glad that I got to spend the afternoon with you, but it’s kind of bitter sweet.”

Geoff was stunned. He had never expected to hear such a heartfelt declaration from shy little Ryan. While he had been speaking, Ryan had put on a similar pair of makeshift pajamas to Jack’s. He sat quietly on the edge of the tub afterwards and stared at his feet.

The man didn’t know how to pose his question, so he decided to just push through it awkwardly. “You can… I mean, uh, Do- do you want to spend the night? Jack can too, of course. If he wants to.”

This time there was no hesitation in Ryan’s voice. “If it’s okay with you, I would love that. Thank you so much, I’ll be a good guest, I swear,” he said almost desperately.

Geoff shook his head a bit, which worried Ryan until he explained. “You’re not ‘a guest’, Ryan. You don’t have to be formal about it. For tonight, at least, we can all be a family. You can go ask Jack if he wants to.” What Geoff didn’t expect was for his seemingly simple words to have such great effect on Ryan. The boy’s eyes shone with tears and a huge grin spread across his face. Ryan jumped up and hugged Geoff with more force than Geoff thought his skinny arms could possess.

Geoff lifted him up, which if possible caused even more joy. Ryan let out a breathy laugh and whispered to him, “I don’t remember the last time I’ve had a family. I love you, Geoff.”

They had only known each other a day. It was only by chance that Geoff had even met them. But it was true; he love those boys like his sons. “I love you too, buddy.”

Geoff set Ryan down, who ran off, giggling, to find Jack. The man leaned back against the counter and closed his eyes. What had he gotten himself into? Despite how worried he was about the situation at hand, he smiled. They were worth any problems they would face. They were worth the whole damn world.

UUUUN

Now that Ryan was here, Jack was more than willing to stay another night. After Geoff cleaned up the glass, they watched movies until the boys fell asleep, and then Geoff carried them to bed. Ryan posed a problem when Geoff transferred him to the bedroom, and he clung to the man like a burr. Geoff had tried to set him down, but his attempts were in vain. Eventually, Geoff had clambered down onto the bed with Ryan in his arms, careful not to squish Jack.

The boys immediately snuggled into his sides, and he draped an arm around each of them. I could get used to this, he thought. This was definitely something he could live with.

He woke up to Jack shifting restlessly in his sleep. He let out a whine and gripped Geoff tighter. The beginning of another nightmare, he realized. Geoff pulled the blankets back onto Jack’s shoulders and then started rubbing slow circles over his back. It calmed the boy quickly, who sighed and relaxed against Geoff’s side.

Once Jack was settled, Geoff turned to check that Ryan was still sleeping. The man nearly jumped out of his skin when a pair of wide eyes stared back at him.

“Sorry,” Ryan whispered. “I had a nightmare and can’t sleep.” Geoff hadn’t been woken up by Ryan, and had no idea how long the boy had been awake. He gave Ryan a one armed hug and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked. A small shake of the boy’s head answered him. “Okay. You don’t have to be afraid. I can scare all of the monsters away.” Ryan smiled at this, and closed his eyes once more.

Geoff placed a kiss on top of Ryan’s head. “G’nite, Ry. Sweet dreams.”

“Night, Geoff.”

Only when both boys were in a peaceful sleep did Geoff close his eyes. He was reminded once again of how fragile the boys were. God, he could only hope he didn’t break them.

UUUUN

Breakfast meant an early trip to the grocery store when Geoff realized just how much bacon three hungry males could eat. Lunch was fast food and lots of candy. Dinner consisted of one metal bottomed cup nearly setting the microwave on fire and then hot chocolate with their meal. By eight o’clock the boys were begging to stay another night and Jack went so far as to suggest living there.

“Ryan, don’t you think you need to at least check in with your foster parents?” Goff had asked him. The boy in question stopped bouncing around and stared at him. The terror in his eyes answered Geoff before Ryan even spoke.

“Don’t make me go back, Geoff, please. They don’t want me. The day you met me, Bill was screaming at me and told me I was a burden. That they never wanted me and that no one else would. He told me that they would be better off without me so I left. I was only on the roof because I was waiting for Jack so I could go; please Geoff don’t make me go back!” By the end, Ryan was in hysterics. He was nearly screaming and shaking so hard he could barely stand. Tears continued to stream down his face even after he finished speaking.

Panicked, Jack held his friend tightly to his chest. Ryan’s eye were wide and unfocused, and Geoff doubted he was even aware of what went on around him. Geoff’s eyes locked with Jack’s, and he realized he needed to take action now.

Taking the boy from Jack, Geoff wrapped his arms around him. Rocking back and forth, he rubbed circles on Ryan’s back. The boy’s breathing was quick and shallow. “Ryan. Hey buddy it’s okay. Calm down; I won’t make you go back. I’m sorry.”

Geoff leaned back against the armrest and opened his free arm to Jack, who gladly took the offer. Jack kept one arm firmly latched around Ryan. With both of them holding him close, Ryan’s panic attack faded away, though all too slowly for their likings. When he was finally calm enough to think, the boy dissolved into tears.

“I’m sorry, Geoff, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t cry. I’m just being a burden.”

“Christ, kid, no. You’re not a burden; you never could be. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said that and I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“...Yeah,” he squeaked.

“Then that’s all that matters. Hey, I love you guys. Of course you can stay here,” he smiled. This was enough to bring Ryan back. He gasped and finally looked up at Geoff with a still teary grin.

“Really!?” both boys cried in unison. Geoff laughed and nodded, suddenly filled with a childlike joy at the idea of being a father.

The boys were now squeaking and hugging each other with so much enthusiasm that Ryan almost fell off of Geoff’s lap onto the floor. The man caught him and then tackled them to the floor in a tickle war. So what if he went easy on them and let them win? So what if letting them “beat” him lead to them actually getting the upper hand? And so what if he almost peed because he was laughing so hard? They were all having fun, and he would do anything to keep it that way.

 

 


	3. No Update Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter isn't done yet. ;~; I'll post it as soon as it's finished, though!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late, guys! We worked out a lot of kinks in the story and finally got it sorted. Would have posted this yesterday (Thursday) but we had a robotics competition all day. I'm posting this from the second day of it, actually. Gavin will get a lot more attention soon; don't worry. :)

     Michael didn’t have friends. He never got along well with others, and he knew perfectly well why. He knew that his anger issues made the other kids hate him. It was just the way the world worked. There was one kid who liked him though, and that was his best friend Ray.

Ray understood what happened to Michael at home, and had a similar story of his own. They had come to the mutual understanding that they were alone in a world that seemed to hate them, and stuck together through thick and thin. Michael snuck Ray food when he got in trouble and wasn’t allowed any for days. Ray helped clean Michael up when a vase was broken in a fight at home and he was beaten black and blue.

No one was allowed to know what happened at home. Michael’s parents told him that he ‘deserved it’, and Ray’s parents ignored him completely. The two kids only found solace in each other, and the imaginary worlds they created. Many nights were spent in their small fort they made in the woods. When Michael’s parents hit him and kicked out for getting in trouble at school, or when Ray wanted his makeshift bedroom instead of the floor or sometimes chair, they would head to the fort and signal for the other with their battery powered lamp. The boys knew they weren’t wanted at home, and that their fort was usually safer than their houses anyway. Although only eight and nine, Ray and Michael knew far too much of the pain of this world.

Michael came home from school one day, and ran straight into the fort. He knew Ray would be there; the younger boy wasn’t allowed to go to school like his siblings and basically didn’t exist. Ray’s siblings constantly bullied him and took away the few things he owned for themselves. Sure enough, his friend was in the fort, nose pressed into an old comic book as he tried to read. Michael had tried to teach him many times to read properly, but they had deduced that he couldn’t see very well so it was pretty pointless.

He squinted at the pictures and then up at Michael. “Did you bring food?”

“I couldn’t,” Michael responded sadly. “I got sent to the office because the dumb teacher saw a bruise on my arm. She took me to the principal and I had to spend all day telling them that I just tripped and hit myself. I don’t think they believed me and they were gonna call my parents.” The anxiety grew in his voice and Ray could see his friend’s eyes darkening. He quickly grabbed Michael’s beaten up pillow and held it out in the air like a punching bag. Michael screamed as he hit the pillow over and over. Tears streamed down his face and he repeated the same phrase to himself. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair!”

Ray stayed silent until the curly haired boy had worn himself out. Michael sat back against the flimsy wall and curled in on himself. Slowly, Ray scooted over to him and draped an arm over Michael’s shoulders. “If ya really want, we can switch places for a night. I don’t mind if they hit me; it’d be nice to be noticed, at least.” Michael shook his head violently. It had always been this way, with one offering to switch places and the other denying it. Neither wanted their friend to go through the pain they went through on a daily basis. But watching each other be abused every day wasn’t any easier.

The discussion of running away came up frequently, but they never went through with it. As much as they hated their homes, the boys had nowhere to go. 

“Please don’t let them hurt me again, Ray. We can run away. We can just go; we don’t have to find a home.”

“You know we can’t. They’d find us and be even more mad,” Ray said sadly.

They stayed in the fort and talked until the sun went down. Michael saw the silhouette of his mother in the window, and he looked back desperately to Ray. “ Please, ” he whispered one last time.

“You know you can stay here. I’ll be here if you want. But we both know that it gets worst when you hide for a long time," he murmured.

Michael agreed ruefully and climbed slowly out of the fort. The silhouette shifted slightly and he knew he had been spotted. Michael dragged his feet towards the back door, and stood outside the sliding glass door. He stared at his feet when two shadows were seen in front of the door, and he dared not even touch the handle.

Michael was dragged roughly inside, and Ray could hear the screaming before the door was even fully closed. He flinched and almost ran after his friend, but knew there was nothing he could do. He also knew that despite his offers, there would always be a guilty part of him that was glad he couldn’t see what happened to his friend behind closed doors.

UUUUN

Michael had been beaten all his life. In a sick way, he was sort of used to it. The yelling, the hitting, kicking, the things thrown at him, all of it. It had become routine in his house. Get abused, hide it, get abused, rinse and repeat every day. But all of those years meant nothing compared to the absolute hell that came that night.

He couldn’t even tell what his parents were screaming after a while, and all he heard was the crashing and muffled words and his own screams. He’d learned long ago that there was no one around who gave a shit if they heard, but he screamed as loud as he could all the same. Michael tried to block his father’s punches, so dodge the sharp kicks to his stomach and sides. He tried to run once, but was grabbed by the neck before he could get out of reach.

“ I’m sorry! I’m sorry I swear! I didn’t tell them! I won’t let it happen again I promise! PLEASE!”  he howled as the grip tightened around his throat. His pleading went unnoticed and he was lifted off the ground to face the fury of his parents head on. He could hardly breathe, and the way his father shook him as he screamed made it impossible to focus on anything other than the pain. He could only catch glimpses of what they said, but it was more than enough to get the point across.

“ ... called child services…”

“...coming tomorrow…”

“...ungrateful piece of shit…”

“... going to fucking kill you!”

Finally, after Michael was sure he was going to pass out from oxygen deprivation, he was thrown to the ground. Upon hitting the ground, Michael was left winded and could only watch as their forms towered over him.  I’m going to die. They’re really going to kill me, he thought before he saw the foot come down. Hard.

All of the fight seemed to leave him. Michael took it all without even the strength left to scream or cry. He was sure it was going to be over when a massive crash sounded from behind the monsters he had called parents. They stopped long enough to turn around and investigate that he could see what happened. The glass door was shattered, and a large rock sat in the debris.

Michael stared in as much shock as his parents at the sight before him. Like a guardian angel, tiny little Ray was in the doorway with a BB gun in his hands.

“Leave him alone!” the child shouted, pointing the gun towards Michael’s father. Seeing Ray gave Michael enough will to pull himself off the ground and scramble towards his friend. His parents gave chase, but the two ran like all of hell was behind them, which in a way, it was. They ran through the woods, fueled by fear and adrenaline, long after the angry voices disappeared far behind them. 

When they were too out of breath to continue, the pair collapsed to the ground. At that point, both of them were shaking and sobbing too hard to speak, or even think. Ray had dropped the BB gun at the house in favor of grabbing Michael, so all they had was the clothes on their backs and each other. Ray held the sobbing Michael in his arms for what could have been hours, until eventually both of them fell asleep.

The sun was high in the sky when they finally woke up. When Ray opened his eyes, he screamed in fear at what he saw. Michael looked like something out of a horror movie. He was bruised all over and blood was smeared on his face and clothes. They looked at each other without any idea as to what they should say. What could they even say after an event like that?

“Um…. Thanks for saving me…” Michael said, his voice sore and raspy from the night before.

“No problem,” Ray said awkwardly. “Got the gun from my bro. Dun know how to shoot it, though…” Ray continued to be full of miracles that day. His simple words got the tiniest of smiles out of his friend. They sat in silence for a long time after that. Ray tried to use his sleeves to clean Michael up as best as he could, and Michael didn’t complain. 

There were some store visible not to far from where they were, so they left the safety of the trees to try and find… something. They didn’t have money or any friends they could get help from. They both knew they couldn’t go back there anymore, but there was nowhere else for them.

They wandered the streets for a long time, getting strange looks from some but not enough to get help. Ray kept them nearer to alleys and side streets in case Michael’s parents were looking for him, but it didn’t seem to matter. They walked and walked until finally Michael plopped down in an alley and put his head in his hands.

“I’m too tired, Ray. I can’t keep walking anymore,” he moaned. Ray sat down next to him and tucked his feet underneath him without comment. He didn’t want to push Michael any further than he already had to. They hadn’t even been there for five minutes when a van driving down the connecting street slowed and then stopped in front of the alley.

“Is that your parents?” Ray whispered fearfully. Michael shook his head and they both started to scoot backwards into the dead end alleyway. Two large men climbed out of the van and started towards them with menacing grins.

“You two are gonna be worth a good lot!” the taller one called to them. The shorter of the pair was staying a few feet behind the other, and kept looking back towards the vehicle. The friends glanced between each other and the attackers. It had seemed impossible that the day would get any worse, but here in front of them stood the grim reality. Both boys made a run for it, but in their exhausted and weakened states the men quickly grabbed them. The hands clamped over their mouths and noses made yelling impossible, and their iron grip took away any chance of escape.

The boys were tossed unceremoniously into the back of the van, and the doors were slammed shut. Ray began to cry loudly and Michael slammed his fists into the door.

“It’s no use. The doors are shut tight,” a quiet voice said from the back of the dark van. A small boy with wild sandy hair crawled towards them, stumbling when the van lurched into motion. They regarded him warily, but figured that if he was about their age, he couldn’t do much more damage than what had already been done.

“They’re takin’ us away. Don’t know where, but they scooped you up like they did with me. I got taken a real far ways away, and I tried to escape too. They don’t like that, though, and now they’re real mad at me.”

Michael seemed to finally snap from the stress of the past twenty four hours. He started to throw himself against the door and scream for help in an insane attempt to free himself. He had only been free for hours before it had been ripped away from him again. Ray tried to stop him, but only got shoved roughly back to the floor. The new boy was terrified, but launched himself at Michael anyway. With the two of them grabbing Michael, he collapsed into a heap on the floor and began crying again.

The new boy still lay on top of Michael, as if he was afraid he might try something stupid again. The van jolted to a stop and the sandy haired kid began to freak out even more.

“Now you’ve done it! They’re gonna kill us all!” he squeaked. The boy’s accent got stronger the more he panicked, until the other two only heard high pitched gibberish. They listened to footsteps closing in on the door, and angry voices outside getting louder.

Ray bowed his head in defeat, and then shot it up again. “I got an idea!” he whispered. “We can rush ‘em. They won't see it coming, and they can’t catch all of us!”

The other two agreed, as anything seemed better than accepting their doom. The three boys crouched down and pressed up against the door, ready to run as soon as they were opened. Sure enough, when the doors flung open and three kids barreled out at once, the men were shocked.

With two men to chase three kids, the boys split up in hopes that they wouldn’t be pursued. Michael ran around the ride of a building and straight into the British boy. They rolled down a small incline in a tangle of limbs into a stream.

Michael sighed and pulled the other boy after him as he climbed out of the ravine. The Brit's scream had alerted their chasers, and the smaller one came to a stumbling halt at the top of the hill, but lost his balance and rolled right past the boys. Despite the danger, both boys had to laugh at the sight of him landing in the water, ass to the sky.

Michael popped his head over the top of the hill only have his eyes meet angry dark ones. The taller man grabbed Michael's collar and hauled him over the side of the hill, and then fished Gavin out right after. One hand held them both my their shirts while the other had a steel grip on Ray's arm. The boy looked battered and exhausted, but his eyes still held quiet determination.

"Yer not goin' anywhere, brats. I'm not losing this job because of you," he growled. Looking over their heads, he shouted to the man still at the bottom of the ravine. "Louie! Get the hell up here and help me- aaAAGHH!"

The man's grip was loosened considerably when Ray gave him a hard kick in the groin. Gavin and Michael ran in different directions and there was no way he could keep a hold on them. Michael grabbed Ray and tried to pull him out of the man’s grip, but it was no use.

He turned when he heard the other boy scream behind him and found the second man- Louie- wrestling the boy in his grip.

“Guys! Help!” he cried out. Michael jumped out of reach of the men, who were having a hard enough time keeping a hold on the two boys to pay much attention to him. Before he could think of a plan, another car pulled up beside them. Michael stared in horror at what could only be reinforcements, until he realized that his emotions were mirrored in both men’s faces. 

The criminals dropped Ray and the British boy without a second thought and ran back to their van. A frightening male covered in tattoos jumped from the driver’s seat of the new car and started towards them.

“Are you okay?” he asked, still about twenty feet away. Michael shook his head and looked to the other two. 

“Run?” he asked them.

“Run,” the other two agreed, and then they were off again. They dodged around the car, and down the road away from the van. None of them ever looked back or decided on a location. It seemed like there was no one they could trust, so they didn’t take any chances. When it was dark and they were lost and bone tired, the boys huddled together in a pile off the side of the road and fell into uneasy sleep and nightmares. When they woke up early the next morning, the new boy spoke first. “I’m Gavin,” he said. “Who are you guys?”

UUUUN

They told their stories to each other that day. All of them were hungry and thirsty beyond belief. Gavin suggested begging for money, Michael suggested stealing, and Ray, in a grumpy mood, told them to suck it up because he’d gone much longer. After arguing and wrestling for a while, they’d decided to go their separate ways and try their own ideas.Gavin was sitting on the curb giving his most pitiful face in hopes of receiving money, or even better, food. It was just as Michael was slipping a hand into a woman’s purse that Gavin grabbe him and pulled him back off the road to where Ray was sleeping.

Gavin woke him up roughly and looked over his shoulder every few seconds. “The scary man from last night’s back! He’s coming for us!” the boy hissed.

“Which one?” Ray mumbled from where he still lay.

“The really scary one with the mustache and tattoos,” Gavin responded, still looking behind them. Michael peeked around the corner of the building they were next to, and the man was indeed there. In their current situation he didn’t look nearly as menacing; there were two boys only a few years older than they were clinging to each of the man’s hands, and he held them while several grocery bags weighed his arms down.

Gavin and Ray sat beside him, watching the scene. “He doesn’t look really scary,” Ray observed.

“He probably stole those kids and he’s lookin’ for us, too,” Gavin conspired. Michael slapped the back of the boy’s head and turned back to watch. The boys tugged the man across the street towards them, but their eyes were locked on the store beside them. The man appeared to resist weakly, but he was smiling all the same. When they were on the sidewalk he handed them each money and they ran inside. He stayed outside and watched in amusement at whatever the boys were doing inside.

“Let’s ask him for money,” Gavin said suddenly.

“I thought you were afraid,” Michael said incredulously. 

“I am, but they went in a candy store, and I’m hungry,” Gavin pointed out.

Ray stood up without warning or explanation and walked to the front of the store. The other two tried to grab him, but stayed hidden instead of going after him. Ray walked calmly to the large windows and peered inside, almost out of Michael and Gavin’s view. The man noticed him and walked over slowly. Ray turned to him and they started talking, though the boys couldn’t understand the words from where they watched. 

The man kneeled down so he was closer to Ray’s height, and looked more concerned than malicious. Gavin’s stomach growled, and the boy shushed it angrily. Michael could see the internal battle his odd friend seemed to have. Finally making up his mind, Gavin stood up and headed over to the pair outside the store. Michael face palmed at the stupidity of his friends. How could they think this was a good idea? Didn’t they know how bad adults were?

Still, he couldn't leave them to fight him alone, and if there was a chance he could steal some of the groceries he would take it. He arrived to the conversation just as the two older boys left the store with huge suckers and even bigger grins. The three new males stared in shock at Michael, and he felt his face heat up. The red headed boy turned and tugged on the sleeve of the other one, and they both ran back inside. Michael stood, wringing his hands together, while the man studied the three of them.

The two boys ran back out of the store and stood with their hands behind their backs. They were laughing to themselves and watched the other three expectantly, as if waiting for someone to ask what they had. 

Gavin was the first to step forward and ask. “What’s behind your back? Is it… food?” he asked hopefully. The older boys couldn’t hold their secret anymore and revealed three more suckers in their hands. The gave one to each of the boys, who just stared in shock at the treats they had been given.

“Good job, boys,” the man said. He held out one fist towards them, and Michael flinched instinctively, but the boys just fist bumped him back. Gavin was already trying to stuff the whole thing in his mouth at once, and only stopped to look up at the strangers like they were gods.

“Thanks, guys! Thanks, Mr. Mustache! You’re not a crazy murderer like I thought!” he squeaked happily, before diving back into his candy. ‘Mr. Mustache’ let out a loud laugh and smiled at the young boys. 

“I guess I never really introduced myself to all of you. I’m Geoff, and this is Ryan and Jack,” he said, gesturing to each boy in turn. Ryan and Jack waved with their free hands and the boys waved back.

“Well, I’m Ray, and you’ve met Gavin. This is Michael. He’s really nice, even though he looks kinda scary when he’s grumpy. Kinda like you, Geoff.”

Geoff put a hand to his chest in mock hurt. “I don’t look grumpy! My mustache just hides my emotion!”

“It’s eating your face, Geoff,” Jack reminded.

“But it looks  fabulous while doing it,” he sniffed. 

They all sat on the curb while they ate their suckers, with Geoff stealing licks from Ryan’s and Jack’s occasionally. To anyone passing by, it probably seemed like a normal day for a strange, dysfunctional family. When the treats were gone, Geoff said they had to go to put the groceries away before the food got bad. The kids all looked sad; they had been enjoying the calm happiness of the day. Ryan and Jack climbed into the car only after drawn out goodbyes and suspicious puppy dog eyes aimed at Geoff. He would shake his head every time, but his resolve obviously weakened at the sad faces. The young trio had no idea what they were conversing silently about, but didn’t ask. 

Geoff had gotten as far as buckling up and starting the car before he threw his head back and let out a frustrated yell. “Fine, damnit! Fine! I give up!”

He got out of the car and walked back to the boys, cursing under his breath all the way. He scrubbed his face with his hands before he spoke. “You wanna have lunch at our place? You all look half starved, and Michael, buddy, you need to clean up those cuts.”

Gavin was squished in between Ryan and Jack and buckled up before Ray and Michael even had a chance to answer. But there was no doubt in Ray’s mind that he was going, and Michael wasn’t going to leave his best friend, even if this guy seemed really sketchy.

There was just enough room in the back of the car for all of the kids, and the short ride to his house was the loudest Geoff had experienced. Not that it was bad, it just probably broke the sound barrier. He did notice that Michael was nearly silent, though, and took note so he could talk to him later and see what was up. Because something was very obviously wrong after what he'd seen happen with them the day before.

The house was a whirlwind of activity as Ryan and Jack tried to help Geoff put away groceries while simultaneously giving a tour of the house to the new kids. He finally shooed them away so he could make lunch in peace.

Gavin opened up immediately to the boys. His ever trusting nature made the whole thing into a big adventure. Ray was quieter, but he was a great help in getting Michael to come out of his shell. Soon, all five boys were bouncing on beds, fighting with paper towel roll swords, and generally making the mischief that comes with young boys. They only calmed down when Geoff called them to the kitchen. The now traditional Mac-n-cheese was served in large proportions for everyone. 

“And Burnie said I was crazy for having so much of this stuff. Never know when you’re gonna have to feed six,” Geoff said rather proudly to no one in particular. The boys all agreed even though sixty percent of them had no idea what he was talking about. 

Lunch went on normally, and they all hung out in the living room afterwards. Geoff kept a close eye on the new kids to see how they were faring, and to try and figure out just how bad things were for them. Because a lot was definitely very wrong, he just didn’t know  what .

Michael had been sitting on the couch, mostly just watching the other boys play pirates, sometimes just seeming to stare into space. Geoff scooted closer and raised an arm to put around the boy’s shoulders, but Michael flinched sharply away. Upon noticing Geoff’s confused and slightly pained expression, Michael relaxed but looked down guiltily. 

“Sorry, Geoff,” he muttered.

Geoff slowly put his arm fully around Michael, and pulled him a little closer. “‘S’okay, buddy. You know I won’t hurt you though, right?” Michael thought, and then nodded. “Good. I just wanna help you guys; you seem like really nice kids. So what’s wrong? You guys look like hell. You wanna talk about it?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m not s’posed to talk about it anyway,” he replied under his breath. Well this was a disturbing new development. Geoff stood and offered a hand to the boy on the couch. Despite obviously knowing they were going to talk, Michael took his hand and followed him to Ryan and Jack’s bedroom. Jack watched them leave, but continued playing as if he didn’t notice. Geoff thanked him silently for not alerting the others.

Once in the bedroom, Geoff sat on Jack’s bed and crossed his legs. Michael shut the door behind them, and contemplated where to sit for a moment. Finally, he decided on The bed opposite Geoff. He didn’t want to cry, and knew that Geoff holding him would push him over the edge.

“So what’s going on, buddy? Is it something really serious? … Is it why you’re all beat up?” he asked nervously. He didn’t want to confirm his suspicions, but couldn’t leave the boy alone. 

“Yeah,” Michael said, his voice barely a whisper. “They hit me- my parents, I mean. I know I deserve it, but it still hurts. I mean sometimes I don’t even do anything! They just keep yelling and hitting and kicking! And they say I can’t tell anyone or I’d get in even more trouble, but the school found out and called them. They can’t know, they just can’t! But they did, and my parents were just  so mad . It was worse than any other time ever. Ray saved me, but it was  awful . We ran away, two nights ago I think? They said that I was worthless, that they were gonna kill me. I don’t wanna go back, Geoff. I can’t! I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone but I just wanted to so bad and now that I can’t go home they can’t hurt me, right?  Right?”

Michael felt the words pour out of his mouth, and the tears streaming down his face, but at that point he didn’t care. He’d waited so long for someone to listen, to feel safe. Michael knew he was basically digging his own grave, but screw it all if he didn’t just want someone to hold him and let him cry.

Geoff seemed to sense this and kneeled in front of Michael. He held his arms open, but let Michael close the gap himself. The young boy’s lip quivered, but he didn’t move. Instead he shook his head sadly and let out a broken sob. “No; I’m bad, Geoff. I did a horrible thing and now I need to be punished.” He ducked his head and prepared for Geoff to hit him. He waited several agonizing seconds for the first blow, but felt nothing. 

Michael tilted his head up only enough to look at the man before him. Geoff still held his arms open, and didn’t show any signs of aggression towards him. The boy dropped his shoulders slowly, and his mouth dropped open slightly. 

"You're not gonna hit me? Like, ever?" Michael asked. Geoff shook his head resolutely, looking pained at the very thought of it. "And you're not ignoring me like Ray's parents ignore him?"

"Of course not, Michael. Never ever ever. I pinky promise," he said, holding his finger out as proof. 

Michael took the offer and they shook on it. Feeling completely overwhelmed, Michael melted into Geoff's still waiting arms. The events of the last few days crashed down on the young boy all at once. He broke down completely and cried for what felt to him like hours. Geoff never said a word, he just picked Michael up and rocked him. The other boys never came in to check on them, so Michael gave up any attempts to hold his tears in. 

When he’d finally cried himself dry, Michael sat in Geoff’s arms, rubbing his eyes and hiding his face in Geoff’s tear stained shirt. At some point, Geoff must have started humming, and rocked lightly to the song. Even though Michael felt completely drained, he also felt safer than he had in a long time, perhaps ever. He couldn’t believe that the feeling would last for long, but he decided he’d enjoy it while he could.

“Geoff, I don’t know what to do now. I’m scared to go back,” Michael whispered.

“Well there’s not a chance in hell that I’m letting you, so you aren’t gonna have to worry about that.” Geoff paused in thought for a moment before grumbling under his breath about ‘stupid adorable loveable pieces of shit’. “You three can all stay here, at least until we figure out what to do with you all,” he said. But there was a hint of resignation that Michael was a bit confused about.

“You ready to go back with the others, or do you want to hang out for a little to calm down?” the man asked him.

“I’ll come out in a minute,” Michael responded. “I wanna be alone for a minute so I don’t look like I just cried.” A tiny smile formed on Michael’s face, one that was mirrored on the man that held him.

“‘Kay. If you’re sure. I don’t want to leave you in here alone if you’re just gonna cry again,” Geoff said, laughing slightly. Michael nodded in affirmation, and Geoff went to check on the other kids, specifically the new arrivals. 

UUUUN

“ I left for twenty minutes!”

The scene before him could only be described as a child’s dream mixed with all of hell. He could only wonder how he didn’t hear, or at least sense, the absolute destruction of the living room and children inside it. Ray had been flung halfway off the couch and dangled there, holding a stomach covered in ketchup “blood”. His tongue flopped out of his mouth, but popped back in when he saw an upside down version of Geoff enter the room. He gave a huge grin, and then went pale. 

“Guys,  guys! He’s back!”  the boy exclaimed. It was only then that Geoff really started to process the rest of the room. Ryan had a blanket cape and crooked paper crown on, and appeared to be performing some sort of ritual over Ray’s ‘corpse’. He’d had his back turned to Geoff and was waggling his fingers over the small boy with his face scrunched up in concentration. Jack marched into view with Gavin draped over his shoulder, who also appeared to be ‘dead’. Jack tossed the boy onto the couch beside Ray, and stared at the intruder to their game. The entire scene was decorated with stickers, glitter, paper pieces, and condiments. Jack kept his eyes locked on Geoff’s, but didn’t offer an explanation.

“We didn’t have paint,” he said simply, pointing to Ray, who dipped his finger into the ketchup and licked it off. 

“Umm… We didn’t do it…?” Ryan offered.

Geoff was speechless. The room was destroyed, but the kids were happy. The kids were happy… The kids were happy… He repeated this to himself as he stumbled over to the fridge. He wasn’t drunk enough for this. He took a swig of beer before he found his voice. “It’s fine- ehem- it’s fine. Just clean up after,” Geoff said, voice breaking with the first try. The four boys watched him for a moment, then went back to playing like nothing had happened. Michael peeked out from the hallway, and started bouncing up and down with joy when he saw the chaos. He ran over and joined in, and Geoff couldn’t help but be at least slightly comforted by that. 

He sat, sipping beer and making sure that they didn’t kill themselves. He was content with watching them until he heard a tiny thump, followed by “Owwww..” Ray’s head poked out from the other side of the counter, with his hand rubbing his head.

“What the heck did you just do?” Geoff laughed. Ray pouted at his amusement and pointed at the corner of the counter.

“Wall hit me. Thought I was walkin’ around it,” he huffed. This only made Geoff laugh harder, which Ray didn’t find at all amusing. He crossed his arms, effectively smearing the ketchup on his shirt even further. “‘S’not my fault my eyes don’t work right,” the grumpy boy mumbled. 

“You really need glasses, don’t you?” Geoff asked. Ray nodded and crawled up onto Geoff’s lap. “Eugh, you got ketchup- I mean blood- all over me now!” Geoff exclaimed. Ray ignored him and stared at the bottle on the counter.

“That’s root beer right?” he asked, pointing.

“No, no no no that’s a Geoff drink. Not for you,” Geoff said, reaching for the beer. Ray beat him to it and snatched the bottle up, taking a large swig. Immediately, he spit it out and looked up at Geoff with a look of utter betrayal.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was gross!? Why do you torture yourself!?” the small boy wailed. 

“I tried to tell you. Now you’re poisoned,” Geoff said, looking down at Ray sadly. “Sorry, but I did warn you.” The look of terror on the boy’s face broke Geoff’s serious expression.

“Oh god, don’t cry please. I’m kidding! It’s just beer!”

Ray wasn’t afraid anymore, but looked 100% done with him. He set the bottle back on the counter, and as an afterthought pushed it further away.

“So, whatcha come over here for, anyway? I thought you were having fun with the other boys.”

“I was, I got tired though. Being a reanimated zombie pirate is hard work, and you seemed like you had a comfy lap,” Ray said, swinging his feet in time with Geoff’s. His lap seemed to meet Ray’s expectations and he wiggled around to find the right position. Geoff wrapped his arms around the boy and rested his chin on Ray’s head. Ray’s tongue stuck out like he’d hit a button.

They watched the others together for a while before Ray curled up against Geoff’s stomach. He let out a large yawn and closed his eyes. 

       "You tired, Ray?" Geoff asked. 

       "Ye."

       "You wanna take a nap in one of the boys' beds?"

       Ray let out a mumble and shook his head against Geoff's stomach. 

       "... You wanna sleep here?"

       "Ye."

       Geoff laughed and nodded. "Alright then. At least get comfortable first." He cradled Ray in his arms and watched fondly as the boy smiled in his half asleep state. 

      "Thanks, Geoff. I'm not used to this much attention. It's tiring," Ray said softly as he drifted off. Geoff held him closer and planted a kiss on his head. Ray giggled, and then he was asleep. It was then that Geoff realized his fatal mistake.

       "Shit... I gotta pee."

       UUUUN

       The boys eventually all tired out, and had collapsed on the floor and couch after some weak attempts at cleaning. Cartoons played in the background, but the tired or sleeping boys took little notice. Ray still say in Geoff's lap, though the man had moved over to the couch after the kitchen stool had become uncomfortable. 

       Ray woke up after a while, and looked up at Geoff with large brown eyes. He blinked in surprise, until he seemed to remember his surroundings. "We're in the living room," he stated, sounding confused. Geoff nodded, not really sure how to respond. "I'm in your lap,"

“...Yes?”

“You’re still holding me,” Ray elaborated.

Finally, it seemed to click in Geoff’s mind. “Are you surprised by that?” he asked the boy. Ray nodded and continued staring at him, as if awaiting an explanation. When he received one, Ray took matters into his own hands.

“My parent’s never did that. They pretended I wasn’t even there. They usually didn’t even feed me, so why are you letting me stay in your lap? Aren’t I a bother?” he asked innocently.

“‘Course not,” Geoff answered immediately.  That was a question he could answer. “You’re like a cute little lap warmer. Plus I figured out how to pee while holding a sleeping kid,” he chuckled. Geoff was too tired to get into a deeper conversation about Ray’s life, so he settled with light humor.  It got the boy to laugh, and he squinted over at the boys scattered on the floor. Only Ryan was curled up on the couch, and the others had all fallen asleep by then. He studied the sleeping kids for a minute, and then turned back to Geoff.

“I got the best spot ‘cause I called dibs,” he decided. A snort turned his attention to the other boy on the couch. Ryan looked at him with a sleepy grin and shook his head. 

“You haven’t truly had the best spot in the house until you’ve slept in the fort,” he said. Ryan sat up and stretched before picking Ray up and carrying him to one of the unexplored rooms at the end of the hall. Geoff was thankful for the opportunity to stretch and laid down on the couch to finally get some rest.

UUUUN

“Not just anybody gets to go inside the fort. Even Geoff only gets in on special occasions,” Ryan said as he struggled to open the door while still cradling the seven year old. Ray grabbed the hand for him, and they entered the extra room which held the fort.

What used to be an office had been transformed into the largest play castle Ray had ever seen. Tables and chairs held up all sorts of sheets and blankets, and hooks on the walls supported what the furniture didn’t. The entire room had been transformed, and only a small entryway to the door was left uncovered. In some parts, the blankets were actually strung from the ceiling and hung only a small distance from it. 

Ryan set Ray down and nodded towards the door that was covered by a small blanket hung vertically. Ray carefully pulled it aside and felt his jaw drop. The lights in the room gave the fort a colorful glow as they shone through the blankets. Stuffed animals were strewn throughout, and the big ones looked like they were used as furniture. Games, books, and more pillows and blankets filled the large space.

“Impressed?” Ryan asked, the pride in his smile matching his words. Ray nodded, still speechless. “C’mon. We can make you a bed by ours.”

UUUUN

One by one, but boys in the living room woke up. Michael immediately noticed his missing friend and woke Geoff up. “Where’s Ray and Ryan?” he asked, prodding the man.

“They’re in the fort. Just have Jack show you,” he whined, rolling over. Michael huffed and crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I’ll show you guys. It’s really cool,” Jack said from the floor. The three remaining kids wandered down the hall and entered the room. Gavin and Michael stared in awe for a few seconds before the three of them noticed the sign on the door.

R&R CONNECTION ONLY. DO NOT ENTER.

“Hey, guys! What the heck this is the kids fort!” Jack cried out. Muffled giggles sounded from inside the structure before Ryan answered.

“Says R&R Connection only! Sorry we don’t make up the rules!”

Ray burst into laughter once more. “Yeah we do!” They both sat laughing in their fort while the others pouted outside. Even though they knew only a blanket and a paper sign blocked their entrance, none of them tried. They were locked out; said so right on the sign. 

After Gavin sat down and started making weird noises, Ray finally relented and let them in. “What the heck was that?” Ryan asked him once they were inside. 

“Annoyance noises. It usually makes people stop what they’re doing,” Gavin explained.

“Well they sure were annoying,” Michael said. “If he didn’t let us in I was gonna smack you.”

The fort had been transformed. Instead of a large space separated into rooms, it now had a large central space. The side area where the beds were was blocked off by a large stuffed animal throne that Ryan sat on. Ray scrambled over the side of it and disappeared back into the bedroom section. The boys played kingdom in there until Geoff called out for dinner. When they didn’t answer, he headed over to the room where they hid.

“Boys? Dinner’s ready,” he said again, knocking lightly on the door incase they were sleeping. Still, no one answered. He opened the door and pulled the fort’s door aside, expecting to see sleeping kids. Instead, he came face to face with two Nerf guns, two fake swords, and one large teddy bear. He screamed as he was attacked by five children. They tackled him to the ground in a flurry of darts and flying children. He lay there, defeated and covered in kids, while they painted his moustache red and added a purple monocle. When they were finished, they all headed out to the kitchen to eat as if nothing had ever happened.

They ate happily, and seemed to be a normal family. The rest of the evening was spent similarly to the rest of the day. Everything was fine until it came time for the boys to go to bed. Jack and Ryan begged and pleaded until Geoff allowed the five of them to sleep in the fort. 

To the kids, everything seemed fine. To Geoff, however, it was a completely different matter. He sat on his laptop and searched up child abuse in the Los Santos area. Sure enough, one of the first results was the most recent case. 

“ In a suburb just outside of Los Santos, a terribly saddening case has arisen. The police arrived at the Jones household after a call had been placed from the school concerning possible child abuse. When police arrived on the scene that evening, they found the property abandoned. The living room was in shambles, and the patio door was shattered by a brick. The police are unsure of what exactly happened, but deduce that the parents must have fled with Michael, age 8. The neighbors, when questioned, declared that their youngest son, Ray Narvaez Jr, was missing as well. Though, the police stated that they didn’t sound very concerned by it. The police will continue the search for the missing kids, but so far don’t have many clues.”

“God,” Geoff whispered. It was worse than he thought, but at least he knew that the boys were safe. He scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a frustrated groan. Geoff sat back and closed his eyes. But a smile worked its way onto his face, anyways.

“Damn kids. I blame them for everything that comes from this decision,” he muttered to himself, still smiling. He reached over to the table and grabbed a pencil and paper from the discarded craft supplies. He thought for only a short time about what he wanted to write. It couldn’t be too crazy if kids were going to read it, and they’d probably ask a ton of questions no matter what he wrote…

    UUUUN

    The morning brought blissful silence for only a short while. Whispers soon filled the air, which quickly turned to giggles and squeaking. Soon, this was joined by quiet and sleepy voices and then the apartment was full of laughing and screaming children all jumping around and hugging. Geoff watched them all, more sure than ever that it was the right choice. The boy’s celebration turned on Geoff not long after, but he didn’t protest when he was trapped on his bed by the five kids laying on top of him, still chattering excitedly. They all stayed like that for a long time, until hunger drove them to the kitchen. But for a while, they were all in a pile, celebrating the three new additions to their big, happy family. At the doorway to Geoff’s room, a note lay on the floor.

“Boys, I want you to know that you are responsible for all of this. Good job. But really, I’m so incredibly proud of all of my boys. Yes, all of you. It seems that we’re going to have three more kids in this family. Ray, Gavin, and Michael, you are all more than welcome to stay here if you want. I don’t really know how to be more obvious. You guys can talk about it, and then you can wake me up. QUIETLY. I love you all, Geoff.”

UUUUN

**Author's Note:**

> We hoped you like our first story here! Updates will be irregular, but we love this story too much to stop writing it. We are TrollToez and ZeusesPidgeons, and we hope you tell your friends. Heck, tell your enemies, tell your parents, tell your dog (they'll be the only one that'll listen to you) -ZeusesPidgeons
> 
> I do not agree with that last statement. -TrollToez


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